US Refuses NoKo’s Denuclearization Terms

“Let’s get this done,” US special representative for North Korea, Stephen Biegun says, announcing that the year-end deadline North Korea gave the US to resume talks will not be accepted.

Denuclearization Off The Table?

Recent North Korean tests, and an announcement for a “Christmas gift” to the US, have been looking more and more like a threat as senior officials of the North have recently said that denuclearization is already off the table.

Despite the North’s refusal to negotiate denuclearization, US special representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun addressed the issue in front of reporters:

“On this point, let me be absolutely clear: The United States does not have a deadline. We are fully aware of the strong potential for North Korea to conduct a major provocation in the days ahead. To say the least, such an action will be most unhelpful in achieving lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula,” he said.

“Let me speak directly to our counterparts in North Korea: It is time for us to do our jobs. Let’s get this done. We are here. And you know how to reach us,” Biegun added, expressing how open he is to committing to talks while in South Korea.

The North’s military chief Pak Jong Chon also made some curious comments on Saturday, saying that North Korea has “tremendous power” and recent test results could serve as the blueprints for new weapons to “definitely and reliably” counter the US’s nuclear power.

Biegun believes recent statements from the North don’t reflect how the discussions have been going so far at all, calling the announcements “so hostile and negative and so unnecessary.”

With differences in opinions and terms growing wider and wider, it just becomes more questionable whether or not the US and the North could ever reach a deal for denuclearization.